If there is one book essential to understanding John McPhee's mastery of structure, it's his triptych about environmental icon David Brower, Adam Hochschild writes on Nieman Storyboard. Hochschild marvels at how McPhee arranged Brower's three encounters, but adds a surprise: "After being awed by the engineering of Encounters with the Archdruid, I found it a revelation to learn that in McPhee’s mind the idea for the book’s structure preceded his choice of its subject."
